In organised societies, even children put the laws of the land above emotions

Wherever right values are promoted, citizens respect the law irrespective of their status in society. In climes where right values are respected, children emulate their children in obeying the law of the land. In some cases, children prevail on their parents to do the right things, even things as “minute” as obeying traffic rules. That a child calls the police on the parent, without emotions, for breaking traffic rules is a testimonial of attachment to the right values in society. It is also a belief that a sane society is the handiwork of all citizens.

There is plethora of stories about children, especially in the USA, UK who call the police on their parents over what they termed offences against them or the state. According to a report in CNN, 6-year old Robbie Mcdonald, had dialled 911, emergency number of Police in USA for his dad who drove past a red light.

“My daddy went past a red light,” Robbie said in a 911 call the Quincy Police Department in Massachuetts posted, according to the report. It was later found that the dad who drove his wife’s car, turned left on red light.

In January, this year, Mailonline UK reported how a 16-yearold girl called the police on her father, Anthony Robertson, after he took her phone away as punishment for having its password protected. The officers later determined it was a parental disciplinary issue and sided with the dad.

Inviting police by children against their parents in matters even too trivial has become prevalent among today’s children in those climes. Some may argue that the parents are losing their authority to their children who now dictate what happens while some analysts argue that parents of today ‘ask’ instead of ‘ commanding’ their children.

While this write- up argues that parents in any clime should not shirk their authority because of the over-bearing influence of their children, the question is, why do children in USA and UK, etc have so much confidence in state authority such as police? When parents or relatives go wrong against the state, the children dial the police number to report. The child believes in the state and also handles the national currency with discipline.

Indoctrination

In those climes, there is silent but persistent tactic of indoctrination of children into believing in their state and equally becoming good citizens. “The fundamental goal of public schooling here in the United States is the same as it is in China: To indoctrinate children into becoming good citizens — that is, citizens who conform and submit to authority,” says Jacob G. Hornberger in his article ‘Public-school Indoctrination in China … and Here’ published in Future of Freedom Foundation site.

“That mind-set is not accidental. It was inculcated into children from the first grade, and it continues all the way through high school and even college. By the time they enter the work force, many public school graduates have become full-fledged good citizens — that is, ones who defer to the authority of the nationalsecurity establishment and look on anyone who doesn’t as unAmerican”.

A country like America does not only indoctrinate its children early enough in believing in the country with its motto ‘In God we trust’, but a country of freedom. The total protection, provision, caring, education and liberty the country gives its citizens, generates in the citizens allegiance to the state. That is why a child with confidence in the state, will invite police for his/her parents for what the child considers offensive against state or his liberty. Situation in Nigeria Contrastingly, in a country like Nigeria and other African countries, a child first believes in his family. With family poor indoctrination, the child sees the state as enemy, which does not care for him. This is why state properties are stolen and vandalised with many family welcoming such attitude. The family literally encourages the child to steal from the state. The stealing continues till adulthood as rules such as driving against traffic or driving past red light broken easily.

Today, some people are billionaires just for being politicians without owning industries and no questions of sources of wealth are asked. This confuses a growing child. Without questions asked when child grows up he/ she behaves in similar manner.

The looters, scammers, kidnappers and armed robbers are protected by the society who sees them as slicing their own national cake. In the end, everybody wants to milk the state since there is no commonality among the people to protect the state.

In this scenario, the police, judiciary and other institutions that supposed to ensure orderliness join in the milieu. The common man watches the big man enjoy plea bargain over corruption issues while the poor man is jailed. This breeds lack of confidence in the state and what you have at the end is no nation but a group of people living in bordered area. Today, there is just too much indiscipline in the land and this has not enhanced national development. No nation can build state brand like this.

Nigerian citizens watch with disappointment how Nigeria’s peers such as Malaysia, Singapore are progressing leaving Nigeria behind. This is not pleasing to them. While everybody shares in this blame, a former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Alani Akinrinade, described the problem of Nigeria as that of leadership. Today, there is no sector from education to health, manufacturing that is operating optimally.

In a report, Akinrinade said that if the leadership of the country had been spot on, by now Nigeria could have been “where the Asian Tigers are”. Akinrinade, who stated recently in an interview in Channels Television, where he mentioned that “especially since 1970” the leadership of the country has been nothing to write home about.

Nigeria has been struggling to catch up with fast paced development in the rest of the world. This has been daunting with increase in poverty level in spite of the availability of the elements that can trigger exponential growth in Nigeria.

Possible way out

Many stakeholders have called for restructuring of the country for effective governance. They believe that perhaps the states or regional autonomy will guarantee faster development.

Others called for state police to achieve discipline in the society which will translate to progressive development.

While the debate for these suggestions are on-going, a successful businessman who has looked at Nigeria’s slow development from inside and outside recently offered some critical solutions.

Speaking recently at Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) Alumni Biennial Lecture, Ndubuisi Ekekwe, Chairman of Famisco Group who cited working models, processes, systems and frameworks that are also necessary to ramp up Nigeria’s economy was of strong opinion that for Nigeria to experience exponential economic system, it must be a nation that creates knowledge for national development.

To build capabilities, competencies and invest in R&D for the future, Ekekwe suggested a $10 billion yearly for Nigerian university system but said this money does not necessarily have to be provided by government. Citing examples of other countries, especially USA, he advocated a review of Nigeria’s tax code which will allow individuals to enjoy tax break for donating money to universities for knowledge building and R&D.

“In America and Western Europe, there is clever tax system that stimulates rich people to give money to schools because the more money they give; they are offsetting their tax obligation in other places. Nigeria does not have that system because when a rich man donates money to school, he is Father Christmas. If there is such tax policy, people will inject capital into university system which will make universities competitive”.

Ekekwe, who specialised in Microelectronics and Medical Robotics Engineering also underscored protection of intellectual property as a tool to achieve exponential economic growth. “In an economy where there is rule of law and respect for intellectual property, innovators will be encouraged to innovate more, commercialise and benefit from them.”

He said people want to build things and profit from them but they will stop to innovate when they don’t have confidence that the legal system will protect their innovations. “The propensity that someone can invest all his resources for an idea and somebody else steals it yet nothing happens to the pirate does not encourage the innovator to do great things.”

On poverty reduction, Ekekwe, a professor, who writes in the Harvard Business Review, said Nigeria needs to focus on agriculture. If 65percent of people that work in Nigeria earn their income through agriculture and if they double their earning power by improving their yield, then poverty level estimated to be over 45percent of Nigeria’s 198 million population will be reduced by 37percent, he said.

Ekekwe showed how China and USA that once had flat GDP growth over long period of time leveraged knowledge, technology; focus on agriculture and attention to education to ramp up their GDPS.

Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Henry Macauley, immediate past minister of Energy for Sierra Leone and former Sierra Leone High Commissioner to Nigeria said Nigeria is right now positioned to take advantage of its population and all the resources it has not only mineral but human resources which is huge.

In his view, National President of FUTO Alumni Association, Ndubuisi Chijioke said development deficit in most sectors is monumental. Country’s great focus on Agric, knowledge building, funding of university system through tax plan, ensuring of security for people wherever they reside and protection of property right to encourage investment will trigger faster development. This will encourage citizens to be loyal to the state.